Professor of Modern History at Swansea University and fan of 45 years Huw Bowen has produced a light-hearted look at the travails of supporting his beloved Swans through the thick and thin.

Swansea City: Road to Wembley published by Gomer Press (2013), tells the story of what it was like to be a fan through the lower echelons of the Football League.

In February 2013, Swansea City, Wales's first Premier League soccer club, reached its first major cup final at Wembley, playing Bradford City of League Two. This was widely considered to be the most important game in the club's turbulent history. To many fans, it seemed nothing short of a miracle after the dark days of financial crises and potential relegation from the Football League itself. Their eventual arrival in the Premiership would have been rewarding enough for most Swans followers, but now the team was only one game away from silverware, and qualification for European football. Pinching themselves, 36,000 Swansea Jacks prepared for the trip of a lifetime - a visit to Wembley. Among them was Huw Bowen, a lifelong Swans supporter, who got landed with the job of organising tickets and transport for a motley crew of his fellow Jacks from Swansea University. His diary of this nightmarish logistical operation appeared in the Western Mail in the week leading up to the final. In this book those entries are brought together for the first time, along with other Swans-related writings.

The book will be raising money for a worthy cause, with all royalties from the sale of the book being donated to the John Hartson Foundation. It was launched at the club's annual dinner at the Liberty Stadium on Thursday 16 March 2013. (Photo: Prof Huw Bowen with Michael Laudrup)

Professor Bowen will also be doing a book signing at Waterstones, Swansea, on Saturday, 18 May 2013 from 12 noon - 1 pm. All welcome.